Don't Push Your Luck
by Snape0Crepe
Summary: "Mind if I sit here? I'm Sc-" "Scorpius Malfoy. I know who you are," she said, looking up at me with indifferent blue eyes. "My parents warned me about you. Best not take my chances," she said, turning back to her book. S/R in later chapters. R&R! :D
1. Chapter 1

_**AN: Welcome, welcome, welcome to my next-gen fic! Hopefully the firstt of many! Disclaimer: I'm not J.K. Rowling. I wish I owned Harry Potter, but I don't. I can only lay claim to any OC's who may crop up from time to timeeee. Enjoyyyy!**_

_**ScorpiusxRose in later chapters.**_

**~000~**

**~Scorpius' POV~**

"Sorry, d'you mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is packed." I wasn't lying; every other compartment on the Hogwarts Express seemed full to bursting with students. This one was the emptiest as far as I could see – or else, the others were occupied by slightly daunting seventh-years, ready to hex any eleven-year-old who came their way.

"Depends who's asking," the ginger girl said without looking up from her book.

I started, "Oh, well, I'm Sc—"

"Scorpius Malfoy. I know who you are," she said, looking up at me with indifferent blue eyes. "My parents warned me about you. Best not take my chances," she said, turning back to her book.

"Wait!" I cried, "I'm essentially harmless if you get to know me…" Those blue eyes bored through me and I looked down at my feet. "…and I really need somewhere to sit on the train. Please?"

"Oh, go ahead," the girl said, sighing dramatically and whisking her belongings off the seat opposite her. "If you must."

"Thank you," I said quickly and took a seat.

The train lurched forward and out of the station. The girl clambered to the window to wave goodbye to her parents; I didn't bother. I knew that Mum and Dad had another appointment to get to before the train left.

We sat in silence for the first five minutes of the trip. She was reading her book. Once, I kicked the seat out of boredom, but stopped when she shot me a glare.

"So…" I said slowly, "Are you going to introduce yourself?"

The girl looked up from her book – even closed it this time – and stared at me as though I'd just called myself a Chudley Cannons fan (that would _never_ happen as long as I lived!)

"You're joking, right?" she said, raising an eyebrow, "You don't know who I am?"

"Should…I?" I asked, "How did you know who I was?"

"Like I said earlier, my parents," she said offhandedly, "They told me a thing or two about you."

"My reputation precedes me," I said quietly, thinking about the way people looked at us when I walked down Diagon Alley with Father. I didn't like it.

"You're serious…you don't know who I am?" she repeated.

"I mean it," I said. "Well, okay, I have my suspicions."

"What would they be?"

"That you're…a Weasley."

Her face was impassive. Damn! I thought that would give me another hint, but she knew all too well what I was doing.

"You think I'm a Weasley, do you? May I ask why?"

"Your hair gives it away, just a tiny little bit," I pointed at her auburn curls, "It's hard not to notice."

"Come off it," she scoffed, "We're not the only red-headed family in the world."

"WE'RE!" I said, catching her out, "So you admit, you are a Weasley!"

"I never denied it," she smiled quickly, "But yes, I do belong to that clan. Rose," she said, sticking her hand out, "Rose Weasley."

"Scorpius Malfoy," I said, shaking her hand.

"I know who you are," Rose reminded me.

"So…which branch of the Weasley tree did you fall from, then?" I asked. No need to tell her who my parents were. She only had one option to choose from.

"Let me put it this way," Rose said slowly, "My mother…punched your father in the face. Third year." Her bright blue eyes searched my face for a reaction.

"Ah," I said, "Hermione Granger. Father never forgave her for that – says she permanently disfigured his nose."

"Nonsense," Rose said matter-of-factly, "There's nothing _episkey_ can't fix…that little story has become quite the legend in our family."

"In ours too," I said, "Father can't go a Christmas without complaining about it. I don't know what he cares about more, his pride or his bone structure."

Rose looked back down at her book, and I sensed that she was about to close up again. "Wait…Rose…"

"Yes?"

"You're a Weasley."

"We figured this one out already, Malfoy."

"Why…why aren't you sitting with the rest of your orange tribe?"

Rose scoffed, "They're not all ginger, you know. But…I just wanted to be left alone."

"Oh. Sorry," I said, standing up to leave. "I shouldn't have disturbed you."

I felt a tug on my sleeve as she pulled me down again. "I meant away from my family. I've spent eleven years with them; this is the first bit of peace and quiet I've ever had." She noticed me looking at her and added, "This conversation counts as peace and quiet, okay? In my house, this," she said, gesturing to the whole compartment, "would basically count as silence. You might as well not be here at all."

"You think gingers are genetically programmed to talk all the time?"

"I wouldn't put it past us, but…look, can you focus on something other than our hair, Malfoy? It's getting a bit old – and a bit rich, coming from a snowman like you," Rose said, looking up at my platinum hair. "Doesn't your head ever get cold, covered in all that ice?"

"At least I don't look like I'm constantly on fire," I retorted.

"Don't push your luck, Malfoy," Rose Weasley said, reopening her book.

I figured I'd pushed it too much already.

_**AN: You likee it? I hope you do! I really like ScorpiusxRose, I think they're such an interesting couple (mostly because there's so many opportunities for witty banter/sarcasm). I plan to continue this as soon as possible, but I might not do so unless I get some encouragement in the form of…**_

…

_**(you know it…)**_

…

…

…

_**reviews! Haha**_

_**x**_


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thanks so much to Lucyahz and SoapBubbles87 for the reviews! I hope I've continued it well enough. :3**

**~Rose's POV~**

Scorpius didn't speak for the next hour, and I swear that was the quietest hour of my life. When you spend eleven years with the Potter-Weasley clan, you soon learn that there's no such thing as silence. There was always someone talking, or more commonly, two or three at a time. I swear to Merlin, our family didn't know the _meaning_ of the phrase 'shut up'.

That's why I wanted to sit away from them, just for a little while…and I'd found myself a travelling partner who seemed to be diametrically opposite to everyone else. Scorpius didn't feel the need to talk all the time. He just sat opposite from me, flipping through his textbooks and rearranging his possessions. Neither of us spoke until a head of disheveled black hair poked its way around the door.

"There you are, Rosie," my cousin James Potter said, "We were beginning to think you'd missed the train…" He trailed off as he noticed Scorpius sitting opposite me. "You."

"Me?" Scorpius said innocently.

"What are you doing here?" James glowered, and I felt really uncomfortable.

"Sorry, do you two know each other?" I asked.

"Never seen him before," Scorpius said.

"You didn't answer my question, Malfoy. What are you doing here?"

"I…I go here. I'm starting at Hogwarts this year too, like Rose."

James rolled his eyes, "I mean, what are you doing in this compartment? Don't you have somewhere else to sit? You're disturbing Rose."

I shot James a silent warning, but he didn't get the message. "James, don't. It's fine. Scorpius needed somewhere to sit and I let him sit here."

"Hmm," James said slowly, before leaving the cabin and slamming the door.

"What was that about?" Scorpius questioned me, "Is he always like that?"

"Sorry," I explained, "He's just…he's like his father, my Uncle Harry. You know how it was between, well, my uncle, and your dad."

"Yeah," Scorpius said quietly, "I understand."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Is this what you meant when you said your parents had warned you about me?"

I laughed in disbelief, "What, because you're a Malfoy? No, I mean – well, you know there was some bad blood between them at school, but they haven't even talked for years. Dad was just telling me to beat you in every test – which I promise I will do."

"That's unlikely," Scorpius snorted, "I'm incredibly intelligent for my age."

"And I'm the daughter of the brightest witch of _her_ age, remember?"

Scorpius reached over to the window and played with the handle. "So…it wasn't because of my family?"

"Only…only a little bit, and I swear, I wasn't even listening properly."

Scorpius didn't say anything. I felt like there was a lump rising in my throat, threatening to choke me into oblivion. "What…er, what house are you hoping to be sorted into?" I said casually, trying to break the silence.

"Take a guess," Scorpius muttered darkly.

I rolled my eyes, "For Merlin's sake, I'm not going around making snap judgements because of your last name, Scorpius. What house?"

"I'd…er, I'd like Ravenclaw. If they'll have me."

"Me too!" I said, "I bet my mum would love that, and Dad always said I have her brains. At least I wouldn't be the first Weasley out of Gryffindor. My cousin Victoire's in Hufflepuff, and Louis is in Ravenclaw. Although I think Dad would be a bit disappointed if I don't get Gryffindor."

"Disappointed?" Scorpius scoffed, "I think I'll be disowned if I don't continue the family tradition of wearing green and silver."

"I'm sure he wouldn't do—"

"You don't know my Father," Scorpius said, turning away.

"I'm going to call you Frosty," I announced after a few minutes of quiet.

"Um. Why?" Scorpius cocked an eyebrow at me, "I don't get it."

"It's a Muggle story that Mum told me. About a snowman."

"Oh, my hair…" Scorpius realised. "I'll have to think of something suitable for you, then."

I didn't know how to tell him that I was _really_ calling him Frosty because in the space of one train trip, he'd warmed up to me, then frozen again a million and one times. Talk about mysterious. Elusive. Enigmatic.

"We'd best put on our robes," he said suddenly, "I think we're almost there."

"Right," I said, slipping the black cloth over my head. "I can't wait to get these charmed!" My older cousins had told me all about how your robes automatically changed to reflect your house.

"Ravenclaw," I said, "Let's do this, Frosty. We're going to be in Ravenclaw!" The more times I said it, the more likely it was to come true, right?

"Here's hoping," Scorpius sighed as the train groaned and pulled to a stop.

It was all about to begin.

**AN: Hope you enjoyed! I had a lot of fun writing all the tension in this chapterrrr. BTW, reviews are my lifeblood. ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you so much for the reviewss! They mean so much to me. X**

**NeverMessWithTeddyBears , SoapBubbles87, howdareyoustealthatcar, whiterabbit111, austheke, Jodie-Luna: I LOVE YOU!**

**AN: Sorryy it's been a while since I last updated! Hope this makes up for it. Stick around because there's a chance for AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION (lol) at the end!**

**~Albus' POV~**

"Albus? Mate, come along, you look like a stunned Hippogriff."

"In a minute," I mumbled, taking as long as possible to double-check the compartments for belongings. James sighed and ran his hands through his hair, and I was momentarily intimidated by just how much he looked like Dad.

"James! Al! Hurry up, you two!" Molly called from through the window.

"Coming!" James yelled, but he didn't make to leave. Instead, he sat opposite me and put on his 'serious face'. "What's wrong, Al?"

"It's nothing, James. Just leave it."

"Bloody hell. You're not seriously worried about being sorted into Slytherin, are you?"

"No…" I whispered, "Maybe…a little bit."

"Come off it, Al. What are the chances of _you_ being in Slytherin?" James teased.

I cocked my head. "Well, there are four houses, so I'd say...one in four?"

James threw his head back and laughed, and I felt all the more paranoid. A 25% chance of being sorted into Slytherin was far too high. "Okay. Al. What do you want to do when you grow up?"

"How is this relevant?"

"Just answer the question, Al."

"Uh…I dunno."

"I see…I see. Oh, and any plans to be Prefect, or Head Boy, or Quidditch Captain while you're here at Hogwarts?"

"Playing Quidditch would be nice…"

"Would be nice…" James quoted, "Would be nice…I see how it is."

"How what is?"

"You've got no ambition, Al. No _drive._ There. Sorted. There's no way you're gonna get Slytherin, is there?"

I mumbled, "I'd better not…and who are you, and what have you done with my older brother? You've never cared before now."

"Oh…" James said slowly, trying to save face, "It's just that…if you _believe_ you'll get into Slytherin, you'll bloody well get what you wish for, eh? Can't have a Snake in the family, after all."

"Thanks, James. That's _really_ helpful."

"It's what big brothers are for, yeah?"

"Yeah."

**~Rose's POV~**

"Rose, come on," Scorpius said, tugging at my sleeve.

"Hang on a minute," I pulled away from him, searching the crowd for a head of messy black hair. "I've got to find Al. Promised I'd wait for him."

"Al?" Scorpius looked at me quizzically.

"My cousin Albus," I explained, "It's his first year too."

"He's a Potter, isn't he?" Scorpius asked quietly.

I stopped to look at him, one eyebrow raised. "Yeah, so what if he is?"

"No, nothing," Scorpius answered quickly, "He's a bit famous, is all."

"Tell me about it," I snorted.

"Rose!" a voice called from behind me.

"Al!" I span around to see my cousin. "Where've you been? I've been waiting for ages."

"Sorry," he mumbled, "James held me up."

"Trust," I giggled, "Bloody James, eh?"

There was a silence as Al and Scorpius sized each other up. I was so scared that they were going to fight, right in the middle of the platform, and we'd all be sent home before school even started. Then Scorpius stuck out his hand and looked at Al expectantly.

"I'm Scorpius," he said.

"Albus," my cousin replied, "But you can call me Al."

"Firs' years this way! Over 'ere, firs' years! Hurry along now!" a booming voice called, and we turned around to see a huge man with wild hair and a bushy beard ushering us with a lantern.

"Hagrid!" I cried, waving at him. He looked at Al, Scorpius and I quizzically for a moment, then broke into a smile. "Well, wha' 'ave we 'ere? I'd bet me las' Galleon tha' I'm lookin' a' a Weasley, a Potter…an' a Malfoy."

"Sorry," Scorpius said, "But who are you?" He was still gazing in wonder at the sheer height of the man; we barely reached his waist.

"So your ol' Dad didn't tell you abou' me, then? Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper o' the Keys, Care o' Magical Creatures Professor, an' Gamekeeper t'boot," he said proudly. "So, which ones are you, then?" He asked Al and I.

"Rose. Ron and Hermione's daughter," I said, and his face lit up.

"Albus," Al said.

"Never doubted i' for a second, Albus," Hagrid boomed, "You look jus' like your father, you do! An' so do you…" he said, turning to Scorpius, "Wha's your name, then?"

"Scorpius, sir."

"We'd bes' ge' going, 'adn't we?" Hagrid asked, his gaze still fixed on Scorpius, "Into th' boats, now."

My eyes widened and I gasped as we came into view of the castle opposite the lake. It was…majestic. "Wow," I breathed, "I can't believe I'm finally here." My older cousins had told me all about first year, how we were taken across the lake in enchanted boats. There they were, bobbing in the water.

"Come on then!" I cried, pulling Al and Scorpius along with me. We piled into a boat where there were some other people.

"Hi," a tiny girl with brown hair said, "I'm Poppy."

"Rose," I said.

"Rose Weasley?" she squeaked, "My mum and dad went to school with your mum and dad! They've told me about you."

"Really?" I asked, "What's your last name?"

"MacMillan. My sister's in third year."

"Ellie? Oh yeah, I think James has mentioned her. Al Potter, by the way," my cousin said, smiling at Poppy.

"Hi! Your dad's Harry Potter, isn't he?" Poppy gasped, eyes wide. "Wow, that's fantastic."

"Haha, yeah," Al said nervously.

"And who's your friend?"

"I'm Scorpius," he said.

"Nice to meet you!" Poppy said brightly. "Oh, and this is Cerys Finnegan," gesturing to a freckled girl with straight brown hair.

"Finnegan? My dad's mentioned you a lot, I think they went here together, right?" Al asked.

Cerys nodded shyly, but didn't speak. "She's really shy," Poppy explained.

Suddenly, the boats bumped against the shore.

"Merlin, we're here!"

I grasped Al's hand and squeezed it tightly. I'd never been more excited – and more nervous.

**AN: Haha sorryy they haven't been sortedd yet! I just felt likee that was the right place to end it.**

**WHAT HOUSE DO YOU THINK ROSE, SCORPIUS AND AL SHOULD BE IN? (Review and let me know, and I'll put them in the houses that people most want!)**

**Please review! They make me so much more inspireedddddd :D **


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hi! So finally, the sorting chapter is herreee! Thank you everyone for all of your wonderful suggestions, I definitely took them into account. It meant so much for me to see people interactingg with this story, really, it did, so thank you. Also, just to let you know that I'm kind of doing this story for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), so you can expect that by the time it's finished, it will be at least 50,000 words! WOW. :D Enjoyyyyy!**

**~000~**

**~Rose's POV~**

"Welcome, first-years," Neville said with a wink to Albus and I, "This is a momentous occasion, indeed. Don't worry, there's no need to be nervous."

"Who are you?" A tiny girl with blonde pigtails squeaked. Her terrified expression hadn't subsided since we'd entered the mesmerising Hogwarts castle.

Neville smiled down at her, "Professor Neville Longbottom. I'm Acting Deputy Headmaster this year."

"You're an actor?" a voice called.

Neville chuckled, "Only in my spare time," he joked, "I'm standing in for Deputy Headmaster Slughorn while he takes a year off…either way, I'm here to welcome you to Hogwarts…so welcome to Hogwarts, children! We're very excited to have you."

"What's going to happen?" a tall boy asked, "My parents aren't magical so they couldn't tell me…does the Sorting hurt?"

There were a few giggles from behind me, and even Neville looked like he was trying to stifle a grin. "No, my dear boy, not at all. Don't believe what people may have told you on the train." The boy looked visibly relieved. "Unless, of course," Neville continued, "Unless you have an abnormally large head, in which case the Hat mightn't fit too well – but I don't think any of you have anything to worry about."

There was a burst of applause and a few cheers from behind the huge double doors that Neville was standing in front of. "I think that's your cue," he said. Professor Neville Longbottom raised his wand, and the mammoth doors groaned open. "Welcome to Hogwarts," he breathed.

"The Great Hall," Albus whispered beside me, "It's even greater than I imagined."

"Mum told me that the ceiling is bewitched to look like the night sky," I said, looking up, and it was. The walls seemed to give way to the twinkling abyss of space. It was nothing short of breathtaking. Neville led us down the centre of the hall, surrounded by four tables of students. I could smell the wax of the hundreds of candles that floated in mid-air, bathing the vast hall in a welcoming, warm glow.

The other first-years around me whispered and gasped, taking in the splendour of the Great Hall. My eyes were fixed on the long table that sat on a dais at the other end of the hall. A row of chairs, all facing the rest of the students, contained a dozen or so teachers. There was Hagrid, and the Headmistress, one of Mum and Dad's old teachers, and a few that I couldn't recognise from my parents' stories. The empty chair beside the Headmistress' must have been Neville's.

The Headmistress, a tall woman in green robes, stood as we approached the dais. "Welcome, first years," she said in a crisp Scottish accent, "to Hogwarts. I am Headmistress McGonagall, and it is a delight to see you all here."

"McGonagall, that's the one!" Albus whispered, "She was Gryffindor head when our parents were at school. Dad says she's an absolute hero."

"I'm sure you're all very eager to begin the school year," McGonagall continued, "For your first year of lessons, homework, assignment and, of course, exams!" The older students sat at the long tables groaned; this was probably something that McGonagall told them to 'look forward to' every single year. "Of course, before we begin anything, you must be Sorted. While you are at Hogwarts, your house will be your home, and you will strive to give that house a good name. By no means, however, does this excuse ill behaviour towards other houses. No house, not one, is better than the others. Remember that well," she warned, fixing us with a stern eye. "Professor Longbottom, who you have already met, will take you through the Sorting - and remember - the Sorting Hat's decision is final."

Neville walked over to a chair that was arranged in the centre of the dais. On it was a tattered hat, with scorch marks on the brim. "Ah," the Hat said, causing many of us to jump, "Neville Longbottom! Back again, are we? I really am sorry about the whole thing, my boy."

"What did the Sorting Hat do to Professor Longbottom?" Scorpius whispered into my right ear.

"It's fine, er, Hat," Neville said, "Not your fault."

"Mum and Dad told me that...oh gosh," I said, "It's really awful, but they said that at the Battle of Hogwarts, Neville pulled the Sword of Gryffindor out of the Hat to fight the Dark Lord...who put the Hat on Neville's head and...set it on fire."

"Oh my god," Scorpius said bluntly, "That's horrific." I wondered if his parents had ever told him that particular story.

"He's a hero for it...and he killed Nagini, you know - the Dark Lord's snake."

"What does he teach?"

"Herbology," I smiled, thinking about how 'tame' a subject Herbology seemed to be.

"Wow," Scorpius laughed, "Our Herbology Professor is pretty heroic for a gardener."

"He is," I said, "He's wonderful. Neville is one of my parents' best friends."

"That's awkward," Scorpius said, "Being taught by a friend...then again, I think Father mentioned something about the Acting Potions Master this year, standing in for Slughorn, I mean. Oh God, if it's Professor Parkinson...I think she and Father used to date. That's disgusting."

"It is," I agreed, "That would be like Viktor Krum teaching Quidditch here."

"Your mum went out with Viktor Krum? THE Viktor Krum? That's wicked," Scorpius gasped.

"Come off it," I said, "I don't want to imagine my Mum dating anybody. Even seeing my parents kiss is enough to make me sick."

"Not much of a romantic, are you?" Albus whispered. He had heard Scorpius' and my entire conversation.

"Shut up, Albus," I hissed, "I just don't like to think that my parents are even CAPABLE of doing...that."

"Quiet," Scorpius suddenly said, "The Sorting Hat's about to sing!"

The Hat, perched on its chair, seemed to fluff itself up, and despite the scorch marks and the tears, it looked almost dignified. "Herr-hum," it said, clearing its throat and opening the slit at the front that I assumed was its mouth.

"Oh, I may not look so new,

But I've done this all before -

I'll have no trouble sorting you

Will it be Gryffindor?

Certainly, if you are brave,

Courageous, good, and true...

Or Ravenclaw? For there, they have

The finest students decked in blue.

Or Hufflepuff? That friendly lot,

Hard-working and loyal,

Those students know what friendship means,

And are unafraid of toil.

Perhaps Slytherin's where you'll end up.

If you're more cunning than a fox,

So ambitious! You're on the up!

You'll make it to the top of the Minister's box!

So if you're ready, take your seat,

And let the games begin.

I'm not just a hat - I'm THE Sorting Hat...

And I know which house you're in."

The Hat ended on a deep note that resonated throughout the hall. All of the students broke out into laughter and applause. "Hat," Neville said through his chuckles, "I think you've lost your touch, mate. To be honest, that was bloody terrible."

"Tell me about it, Longbottom," the Hat replied, "I've been working on that one all year and I think I'll need another fifty to perfect it. Let the Sorting begin!" the Hat boomed.

Neville cleared his throat and unrolled a scroll of parchment. "Now, when I call your name, please sit on this chair for your Sorting. Abbott-Longbottom, Georgina!" he called, smiling as his daughter made her way up to the dais. She had sat only for a few seconds before the Hat yelled, "GRYFFINDOR!"

The table furthest to the left of the hall cheered and applauded for their newest member, while Abbott-Longbottom, Francis, obviously Georgina's twin, sat on the chair. After a moment, he joined his sister in Gryffindor. Neville quietly pat his son on the back and whispered, "I'm proud." I wondered if Dad had been really serious about wanting me to be in Gryffindor...

Albus gripped my hand tightly as Buonsanto, Alessandra joined Slytherin, Chang-Williams, Evelyn, became a Ravenclaw and Finnegan, Cerys joined the Abbott-Longbottom twins at the Gryffindor table. "Don't worry, Al," I whispered, "It doesn't matter what house you're in - and if we're in different houses, it doesn't mean we won't see each other. I'll be here for you."

"What if I AM in Slytherin, though?"

"So, what if you are? Slytherin is a great house. Cunning and ambition? There are far worse things you could be."

"Yeah, like a Death Eater," Al muttered darkly.

"Come off it, Albus," I groaned, "Not every Slytherin was a Death Eater, you know that. Remember when your dad told us about Professor Slughorn? You know, the old Potions Professor? Our parents seem to think he's a fab bloke."

"Okay," Al said, but I knew he wasn't convinced, "I'll...I'll tell you something else later, okay? Don't let me forget."

Our heads jolted up when we heard Neville call, "Malfoy, Scorpius." There were a few whispers from around the room, no doubt students recognising his surname. I gave Scorpius an encouraging smile as he dragged himself up to the Hat. For the first time, I heard the Hat deliberating aloud.

"Hmm...what do we have here? Another Malfoy...you know, I sorted your father in less than a second, but you...you are different. I see a thirst to prove yourself, plenty of ambition, yes, but you seem to recognise that there is more to all of this than just blind ambition...lots of intelligence, you're a bright one, there's no doubting that..." The Hat seemed to probe deeper into Scorpius' mind. The blonde boy looked as though he was about to be sick with nerves. "Oh yes, you are very, very intelligent indeed...better be...RAVENCLAW!"

Scorpius slumped back into his seat with relief, glad the emotional ordeal was over. The Ravenclaw table exploded in cheers and applause. The Slytherin table looked puzzled as to why the newest Malfoy had not joined their ranks, but Scorpius took no notice of them. He jogged over to the Ravenclaw table and sat next to Evelyn Chang-Williams. He looked in our direction and gave Al and I the thumbs-up. I realised that I didn't care what house I was in - as long as my new friend was where HE wanted to be. Ultimately, my parents would be happy with my placement. I wondered how Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy would react to their offspring being sorted into Ravenclaw...

"Wasn't expecting that," Al muttered, "Him being in Ravenclaw."

"Al, you've not even had a conversation with him. I knew he'd get Ravenclaw. I knew it."

"Blimey, one train journey together and you know him back to front. I knew you were perceptive, Rosie, but this is impressive. You've got the Malfoy boy all figured out."

"Well, he's not his dad, Al. I'm pretty sure they're nothing alike - except in looks, apparently. Scorpius didn't want to be in Slytherin at all," I explained, glancing over to the Ravenclaw table. Scorpius was chatting animatedly to some second years. He looked at home already.

"Ah. I admire the boy then," Albus said, putting on an air of wisdom and sophistication, "I don't want to be in Slytherin either."

"I know," I whispered, "And I don't think you will be, Al."

"Oh yeah," he said suddenly remembering something, "Seriously, don't let me forget to tell you something later. It's important."

"Why can't you tell me now?" Of all of my cousins, I was closest to Al, and he of all people knew how much I hated people deliberately withholding information from me. What can I say? It's in my nature to want to know everything.

"No," he said, shaking his head, "I can't tell you now. Not here. Later. I promise - just remind me, okay?"

"Sure," I shrugged, focusing my attention back on the Sorting.

We watched as Poppy Macmillan and Myles, Jack, were sorted into Hufflepuff, both looking as pleased as punch to be there. "They're happy," I whispered to Albus.

"They're Hufflepuffs," he explained, "Badgers are _always_ happy."

"Potter, Albus," Neville called, and there was a whoop from the Gryffindor table.

"James," Al muttered, but it was obvious that there had been more than one shout of approval.

"Looks like the Potters are still the stuff of legend, eh?" I said.

"Potter, Albus," Neville said again when Albus didn't come up to him.

"Rose, I don't-"

"You can do it, Al. I'll be here for you. No matter what house you're in."

Albus slowly walked up to the platform and sat on the chair. Neville gave him a reassuring smile and placed the Sorting Hat on Al's head. "Hmmm..." said the Hat, "Another Potter, eh?" The Hat began to speak too quietly for me to hear. Al looked more and more nervous, and screwed his eyes up and started muttering under his breath. "Not Slytherin?" the Hat said, "That's exactly what your father said, you know. Oh, but you do have a thirst to prove yourself, don't you, Potter? You could - not Slytherin? Not Slytherin? Alright...better be...GRYFFINDOR!"

Albus let out a cheer and jumped up from the chair, pumping his fists. The Gryffindor table burst into applause, James loudest of all. "I knew you could do it, Al!" I called. He turned to me and, for the first time since we'd arrived at Kings Cross Station, looked genuinely happy. I could almost see his brain whirring, composing the elated letter that he'd send as soon as possible to Uncle Harry and Auntie Ginny. Al sat down at the Gryffindor table next to James, who clapped him on the back and offered him a glass of pumpkin juice. They waved at me, and James pointed out the space he'd reserved for me on that bench.

I couldn't imagine myself being sorted into Gryffindor. If I was going to be completely honest with myself, I didn't really _want_ to be sorted into Gryffindor. What was it that Dad had said at the station? "If you're not in Gryffindor, we'll disinherit you. But no pressure." I knew he'd been joking, but it still made me think. Most parents wanted their children to be in the same house that they'd been in. It was like a tradition amongst wizarding families. Even if the house itself was irrelevant, it was the thought of following in their parents' footsteps that seemed to matter most to people.

I thought about all of this while Smith, Maisie, happily joined the Gryffindor table and sat next to Cerys Finnegan.

"Weasley, Rose," Neville called, catching me unawares. Oh sweet mother of Merlin, I was about to be sorted. "Come along," Neville whispered, "There's nothing to be afraid of."

I stepped up to the dais and sat on the chair, and felt Neville place the Hat on my head. "Hmm," the Sorting Hat said. I could hear its voice resounding inside my head. "Another Weasley! I dare say, your family must be the biggest in the Wizarding World. You just never stop, do you?"

"Is that a bad thing?" I muttered through clenched teeth. I just wanted to be sorted already.

"Not at all, my dear girl, not at all. Just an observation...now, let's see...plenty of bravery, you're the picture of your parents, but ah, yes, there's also intelligence. A great deal of intelligence. Perhaps you take more after your mother, hmm?"

"Are you insulting my dad?" I whispered.

"No, no, your father is a hero, even to Hats such as myself. Now...we all know where Weasleys usually end up, but for you, it had better be...RAVENCLAW!"

Oh Merlin. Oh Merlin. It was finished. I'd been sorted. Mum would be ecstatic. Dad, too, once he got over the "shock" of one of his children not being in Gryffindor. I always wondered why Mum hadn't been sorted into Ravenclaw. Maybe they were all just far braver than me.

I made my way over to the Ravenclaw table, where I could hear Scorpius cheering above all the others. I sat next to him and breathed a huge sigh of relief. "That's that, then," I said.

Over at the Gryffindor table, Albus was waving to me. I waved back, smiling widely at him. He looked lonely, even with half our family sitting around him. "What's wrong?" I mouthed. Al pointed over at me, then pointed to himself. When we were young, Al and I had been inseparable, and nothing had changed. We always imagined that we'd be in the same house at Hogwarts, supporting each other through our first year and having adventures like my parents and Uncle Harry and Auntie Ginny had had. I don't think we ever dreamed that we'd be sorted into different houses. "I'll talk to you later," Al mimed.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Sorting regret already, Weasley?" Scorpius teased.

"No, I mean, Ravenclaw, didn't I say I wanted to be here? It's just that...I thought Al and I would be in the same house." My face felt hot and tingly, and I turned away from Scorpius. I was a victim of the infamous Weasley Blush when I cried, with red creeping over my ears and all the way down to my collarbone. I didn't want somebody I'd only just met to have to witness that.

"Oh Rose, like it matters," he said, "You can always get him to tell you the Gryffindor password, and I'm sure he's smart enough to figure out the riddles to our Tower. Houses are just accommodation."

"Thanks, Scorpius," I said, giving him a genuine smile, "You're right. It's not the end of the world."

**~000~**

**AN: Hope you enjoyed! If you did, please, please, pleaaaseeeee drop a review! It means so much to me.**

**OK so I think now is the time to expand on some of the OCs. These are all of the first-years I've thought of so far, but I think that there should be a coupleeeee more. **

**Characters in their first year of Hogwarts (incomplete list)**

**F Georgina Hannah Abbott-Longbottom (daughter of Hannah Abbott and Neville Longbottom, twin to Frankie)  
>M Francis (Frankie) Augustus Abbott-Longbottom (son of Hannah Abbott and Neville Longbottom, twin to Georgina)<br>F Alessandra Silvana Buonsanto (daughter of Romilda Vane and Beauxbatons* graduate Luciano Buonsanto)  
>F Harriet Kate Chambers<br>F Evelyn (Evie) Marietta Chang-Williams (daughter of Cho Chang and Muggle Ben Williams)  
>F Cerys Moriath Finnegan (daughter of Seamus Finnegan and Morgana Jones)<br>M Charlie Johnson (h-b)  
>F Persephone Lou Kildare (h-b)<br>M Milo James Kingston  
>M Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy (son of Draco Malfoy and Astoria Greengrass)<br>F Poppy Marie Madley Macmillan (daughter of Ernie Macmillan and Laura Madley)  
>M Jack Henry Myles (muggle born, son of Henry Myles and Alice Howell)<br>M Albus Severus Potter (son of Harry Potter and Ginevra Weasley)  
>F Maisie Jade Smith (d. of Zachariah Smith and unknown witch)<br>F Rose Alexandria(?)** Weasley (daughter of Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger)  
>M Emir Wood (son of Oliver Wood and Juhanah binte Dhakwan)<br>M Robert 'Bobby' van Hoder  
>M Jean*** Maximilian Zabini (son of Blaise Zabini and Millicent Bulstrode)<br>F Annalise (Annie) Dongmei Zhu (muggle born, daughter of Meixiang Chiang and Donghai Zhu)**

***In the novel, an unnamed 'Beauxbatons Boy' dances with one of the Patils - so it wasn't a girls-only school!**

**** I feeeel like Rose should have a long middle namee to balance out her first name. I guess that Alexandria was Hermione's doing, seeing as it was one of the most famous libraries in the world. Trust Hermione to name her daughter after a library!  
><strong>***** Remember how everyone thought Blaise was a girl until the sixth book? His son has to go thrrroughh the same thing hahaa!**

**If you have anyy questionss/suggesstions, please drop a review!**

**A BIG THANKS TO MY SISTERRR FOR BETA-ING THIS CHAPTER (and for letting me usee your NaNoWriMo account haha). YOUR GREAT!  
><strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Thank you SO much for all the lovely reviews! I really appreciate them, tahnk you so much, it means so much to me. And thanksss to my sister for beta-ing this chapter!**

I was settling into my new dormitory at the top of the Ravenclaw tower when an owl tapped at the window. I opened and saw that it was James' owl Tapestry. "Hello girl," I said, letting her in. Tapestry had a small piece of parchment tied to her leg; I untied it and saw that the outside said THIS PARCHMENT WILL BURN AFTER READING. Very secretive. Tapestry pecked lightly at my shoulder. "I'm sorry, I don't have any treats to give you," I said sadly, ruffling her feathers. She flew back out of the window to the Gryffindor tower.

I unrolled the parchment.

_R. -_

_GILLYWATER._

_- A._

Sure enough, the moment I finished reading, the paper burst into flames, disappearing entirely. I turned to see my room mates, Evie Chang-Williams and Roisin Fitzgerald, looking wide-eyed at the space where the paper had been. "Sorry girls," I said, "Weasley family secrets and all that. We take it that seriously."

"You Weasleys," Roisin teased, "Statistics show that your family makes up over half of Hogwarts, you know." The three of us fell into giggles, and I said, "Yeah, that's probably true."

I was quite sure that the owl was from Albus - after all, I didn't know anybody else who called themselves 'A'. Why 'gillywater', though? What on earth was he talking about? Was this what he wanted to see me about earlier? To tell me something about...gillywater? "Oh!" I suddenly said, smacking my hands down onto my bed, "Right!"

"What is it, Rose?" Evie asked.

"Nothing, nothing," I said, pulling on my robes over my uniform, "Listen, I'll be back soon and I'll finish unpacking then, okay? You can just leave my stuff on my bed." The two girls shrugged and continued their unpacking. I raced down the stairs to the common room, stopping only when I felt a loud smack and all the air went out of my lungs. "Ooft!" I muttered into somebody's chest, "Sorry!"

"Watch where you're going, Weasley," Scorpius said, pulling me up and holding me at arms' length, inspecting my face for damage, "If you'd run into anybody else, they could have hexed you...you're lucky it was me, although, if you do it again, I might not be so forgiving," he teased.

"Sorry, Scorpius! Listen, I've got to go - you were right!"

"About what?" Scorpius called as I ran through the room to the door.

"About Albus! I'll be back later!" I yelled over my shoulder.

It wasn't late yet, so the corridors were still filled with students practising charms, reading books or snogging in the shadows. I sprinted down the stairs, past the Great Hall, pushing my way through a throng of seventh-years. One yelled, "Watch it, Jaffy!" (James later told me, to my horror, that 'Jaffy' stood for Just Another F-ing First Year - and that even he liked to use it on occasion, even though he was hardly much older). Luckily, seeing a crowd of Gryffindor students trudging up the moving staircases meant that I was at least running in the right direction, and I soon found myself in front of a portrait of a rather large lady.

"Password, my dear?" she said after I cleared my throat a few times. The lady had been humming to herself with her eyes closed.

"Uh, gillywater?" I said, trying not to betray the fact that I was most decidedly NOT in Gryffindor - though she could probably see my Ravenclaw robes, anyway.

"That's the one, come in," the lady said kindly, and swung open to reveal the Gryffindor common room.

The room was full of students chatting and playing exploding snap. When I walked in, nearly everybody turned to look at me. I guess it was the Ravenclaw robes that gave it away. "Rosie!" Albus called, jogging over to where I was standing by the portrait hole. "You got my message, obviously."

"Yeah, I feel proper rebellious being in here, you know."

"Like anyone cares!" Al cried, "Besides, the passwords are pretty easy to guess."

"If you're into Herbology, that is."

"Yeah, being friends with Professor Longbottom would probably help!" he laughed.

"So what was it you wanted to tell me, Al?" I asked, "I risked my arse to get up here, you know."

"Merlin's balls, nobody cares about house passwords any more. Let's go somewhere quieter, okay? We'll go up to my room."

"To your room? Isn't that forbidden? You know, to stop any sneaky business? The stairs that turn into slides?"

"Rose," Al complained, "One, girls ARE allowed in the boy's dormitory, it's the girls' that turns into a slide. Two, I'm your cousin. I don't want to discuss this with you."

"Yuck," I said, "Sorry. Yeah, let's go."

"So what's up, Al?"

"I just want to share what Dad told me about, you know, houses, when we were at King's Cross," he said as we were walking up the stairs to the Gryffindor boys' dormitory. "You know who I'm named after, yeah?"

"Dumbledore, of course!" I cried.

"Yeah, but my middle name, you know, Albus Severus..."

"After Severus Snape, right?" I guessed. Mum and Dad had told us a bit about him, but I always knew that it was Uncle Harry who knew the most.

"Yeah, that's it," Al said, "The thing is...Dad told me that he was a Slytherin."

"Everybody knows this, Al, it's hardly a secret."

"Yeah, but, um, Dad said that he was the bravest man he ever knew...but he was a Slytherin?"

"I'm pretty sure that it IS possible to be brave and in Slytherin, you know. I don't think the two can't be seen together."

"Yeah, it did make me feel a lot better about the whole thing, you know. It really did."

"Yeah, but you WERE still bloody frightened, you know," I teased. "Merlin, you were practically peeing yourself."

"Shut up, Rose," Al groaned, playfully punching me on the arm. "Not as if you weren't scared too, don't deny it."

"Tell me about it. I'm not even in Gryffindor. Dad's going to be a bit disappointed, I can tell you that."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, well, you know how much Gryffindor pride he still has after all these years. The eccentricities of old men, you see."

"No, that's just Uncle Ron. He's crazy."

"Oh, rack off Albus," I teased, "Well, that's great that you're feeling better about it all...and I'm so happy that Uncle Harry supports you. Your mum, too?"

"I don't know, actually," Al wondered, "She's never really said anything about houses, not to James or anyone. So I think she's alright with it. Besides, she was always friends with Luna, and she's in Ravenclaw. Merlin, Luna is going to be well pleased when she hears about you! She always said you'd be in Ravenclaw, you know."

"Really?"

"Yeah, definitely," Al said.

It felt rather nice to think that Luna had thought that about me. Of course, we all thought she was a bit, well, Loony, but she was one of the most intelligent people I knew - apart from Mum, of course. Then again, it was always a bit of pressure, growing up around such smart and esteemed women. Mum, Auntie Ginny, Luna, Auntie Fleur - Merlin, even Gran was something of a heroine in the Wizarding world - who am I kidding? SOMEWHAT of a hero? She killed Bellatrix Lestrange, for Merlin's sake! Yeah, I had a hell of a lot to live up to.

"We are the boys. The boys to entertain you," a voice suddenly said.

"Merlin's pants! What was that?" I shrieked.

"I have...no idea," Al said slowly, "But I'm pretty sure that I've been given a room with some rather strange people."

I threw my head back and laughed, "You mean THEY'VE been saddled with you! You're the strange one, Al."

"Oh shut up, Rosie," Al said, "And what are you doing up here anyway? I'll take points off Gryffindor."

"First, you bloody well invited me, and take points off? You," I said slowly, "are not a prefect."

"Ah, but I will be," Al proclaimed confidently.

"Yeah, but not any time soon. You're only eleven, for Merlin's sake."

"Like you can talk. You're younger than me."

"Hardly!" I scoffed, "Only by a month."

"A month is a month, Rose," he reminded me. We lay back on his bed and burst into laughter. "I'm glad I get to start at Hogwarts with you," he suddenly said, "Don't tell anyone, but you've always been my favourite cousin."

"Come now, Al, Dom is going to bawl her eyes out when she learns you said that!" Out of our whole entire clan, we weren't particularly close to Dominique Weasley, who had rather...matured since going to Hogwarts.

"Oh she'll cry, that's for sure, if she's not too busy snogging her latest boy's brains out."

"Yeah, I know what you mean, though. About starting at Hogwarts together. Seriously, just because we're in different houses doesn't mean we can't be there for each other, right?"

"Definitely right," Al agreed.

"Listen, I'd best get back to Ravenclaw tower before the prefects start patrolling. I've seen a couple who look decidedly...nasty...don't really want to run into any of them."

"Sure," Al said, "I'll walk you back there. Don't want you to get into trouble on your first day."

"I can look after myself, Albus," I called over my shoulder, walking down the stairs to the Gryffindor common room, "but I appreciate the sentiment!" Luckily, the halls were still full of students savouring their free time before curfew. I walked quickly past the Great Hall and up to the Ravenclaw tower. I knocked on the bronze doorknocker, which looked up at me and spoke. "What always runs but never walks, often murmurs, never talks, has a bed but never sleeps, has a mouth but never eats?"

"Uh...a river?" I said after a moment's consideration. I wasn't a Ravenclaw for nothing, you know.

"That is correct," the door knocker said calmly, and the door swung open to the Ravenclaw common room. My common room.

"Enjoyed your journey to the land of Gryffindor?" a voice suddenly said from beside me. I jumped. "Merlin, Scorpius, give a girl some warning, won't you?"

"Sorry Weasley, I've been busy practising my ninja skills. So what was all that about?"

"As if I'm telling you. The Weasley-Potter species has certain secrets that it must never reveal."

"You okay, though?"

"Yeah, yeah it's all right. Al's feeling a lot better about the whole thing."

"Good for him," Scorpius said genuinely, "I feel like I wouldn't want to get on his bad side."

"Him? Al's the most patient person in our whole family. I don't know how he does it. Personally, I think Hugo's bad enough, if I had James for a brother, I might be tempted to hex everyone. Regularly."

"Hmm," Scorpius thought, "Well, I don't know James very well..." We didn't talk about how they'd only met once on the train - and it hadn't gone so well.

"Do you have any brothers and sisters, Scorpius?" I asked, guessing that he probably didn't. From what I knew of the Malfoys, they tended to stick to a single heir without the burden of unnecessary children. I wondered if Scorpius' parents thought he was a burden? Then again, probably not. He was probably their golden child, treasured beyond all else.

"No, just me...no cousins, either," Scorpius added, "Both of my parents are only children."

"Wow, I can't even imagine what that must be like. Personally, I think that would be...horrible."

"Yeah, little bit horrible. It must be a lot quieter than yours, though."

"My family doesn't know the meaning of quiet," I laughed, "You should see us at Christmas. Merlin, it's chaos, absolute chaos."

"Better than at my house..." Scorpius said quietly, "We don't really...yeah, Christmas is a quiet thing at mine. No other kids to run around yelling with, you know."

"So you don't have Quidditch matches? Does your mother play? I know Uncle Harry mentioned that your dad was a Seeker, right?"

Scorpius nodded, "Both of my parents played Quidditch at school, and Dad taught me to fly, but we don't really play at home...I mean, there are only three of us, so it wouldn't be much good."

"You need to come to my house some time," I offered, "Then you'd see what a real Quidditch match is."

"Oh yeah? A real match? I bet you've never even been to the Finals!"

"Oh, and you have, I suppose?"

"Every year, actually, but I don't like to rub it in," Scorpius teased.

"You go to the Finals every bleeding year? What kind of Maybe this year the Cannons will get through! It's Dad's greatest wish, year after year. He said that if the Cannons are playing in the Finals, we're definitely going, whatever it takes."

"Like that's ever going to happen," Scorpius scoffed, "The Cannons will never get that far, they're useless."

"Don't push your luck, Malfoy. Just because you sat with me on the train doesn't mean I won't hex you into oblivion for insulting the Cannons," I threatened, pointing my wand in his face.

"You wouldn't," Scorpius said.

"Try me. I can be very defensive about my team, Malfoy. When you're a Cannons fan, you're a Cannons fan for life - and that means that you never back down," I said menacingly, but keeping a teasing edge to my voice. I didn't want to make an enemy out of Scorpius on my first day at Hogwarts. (That, and making an enemy of Scorpius would run the risk of being subjected to a hideous revenge plot concocted by his father, involving acromantula and an army of blast-ended skrewts, and all of the terrifying creatures that James had delighted in telling me about, which would inevitably lead to my horrific and painful death while Scorpius stood cackling wildly over my limp, twisted body ...I didn't really want to think about it.)

"I suppose there are a few things that we'll have to disagree on, Weasley. I'm never going to support your views on the Chudley Cannons. Ever."

We spent the next hour arguing about the best teams in the Quidditch League - agreeing on some, disagreeing on most.

I never expected that I'd find such a good friend on my first day at Hogwarts - and it was more fantastic than I could ever have imagined.

**AN: Hope you enjoyyyyed! I guess this was a really…quiet chapter, lots of talking, emotions and stuffff…but that's just as importantt as action, right? :D PLEASE REVIEW! I HAVE COOKIESS FOR PEOPLE WHO DO!**

**Oh, and here's my list of what houses people are in:**

**GRYFFINDOR**

**Georgina Abbott-Longbottom  
>Cerys Finnegan<br>Maisie Smith**

**Albus Potter  
>Milo Kingston<br>Frankie Abbott-Longbottom**

**HUFFLEPUFF**

**Persephone Kildare  
>Poppy Macmillan<br>Amelia Donahue **

**Jack Myles  
>Charlie Johnson<br>Alfie Donovan**

**RAVENCLAW**

**Rose Weasley  
>Evie Chang-Williams<br>Roisin Fitzgerald**

**Scorpius Malfoy  
>Emir Wood<br>Finlay McCameron**

**SLYTHERIN**

**Jean Zabini  
>Robert van Hoder<br>Oliver Muller**

**Alessandra Buonsanto  
>Harriet Chambers<br>Annie Zhu **


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Wowww, this chapter is wayy longer than I expecteddd! It must be because of NaNoWriMo because I just can't stop writtingg! :D hahaha enjoyy! And as always, please, please review! **

The first months of our first year at Hogwarts passed quickly and uneventfully and sooner than I anticipated, it was time for the Christmas holidays. Like Scorpius had predicted, he, Al and I spent as much time in each other's common rooms as we did in our own. Scorpius had become as good friends with Al and I as I could ever have hoped, and people began to refer to us as the Three Musketeers, which Mum told me was an old Muggle story. I'd written to my parents on my second day about being in Ravenclaw, and their reply was better than I expected.

_Dear Rose,_

_Your father and I are so proud to hear you've been sorted into Ravenclaw. We always knew that you were so, so intelligent, and we're behind you every step of the way. I was interested to read that you're friends with Scorpius Malfoy, and I'm proud of you for that, too. From what I hear from you, he's a perfectly lovely boy, and I hope you don't let people's perceptions of his family name influence that. _

_We hope you're having a wonderful time at Hogwarts, and the three of us miss you more every day. _

_Much love,_

_Mum_

_Hey Rosie,_

_So, Ravenclaw, eh? I always said that you had your mother's brains, you know. Don't worry, love, I won't disinherit you – I'll just reduce your inheritance a tiny bit. No, I'm proud of you, Rosie, and I always will be. You've always been my special little girl, you know._

_Oh, and about that Malfoy boy – remember what I said. Beat him in every test, and if you even think about marrying him – try not to, for your old Granddad Weasley's sake. He can't handle something like that, you know! He'd never forgive you for marrying a Malfoy. Rose, it's your mother. Please don't listen to what your father says. But don't get married. You're only eleven._

_Lots of love,_

_Dad_

Why did my parents have to keep bringing up the subject of marriage? The idea of marrying somebody was, to me, pretty gross, and Mum was right, I'm only eleven.

Headmistress McGonagall was always promoting the idea of house unity, so our classes were always mixed between all four houses. I loved this, because I could make friends in all different houses, and I could have class with my favourite cousin, Albus Potter. I was thrilled to see that he and Scorpius had become almost as inseparable as Al and I were. The two of them were already planning all of the tricks they would play on the rest of the school before Christmas - the most peaceful time of year was going to be disrupted by some old-fashioned Marauding, they said. James and Al had always been obsessed with the stories of their grandfather, Uncle Harry's dad, and his friends, causing mischief and mayhem in their times at school. I could only guess that Al had told Scorpius everything about the Marauders, and in doing so had found a willing partner in crime.

_"What am I, then?" I asked, "An accessory?"_

_"No, no," Al would say smoothly, "You're going to be as important to all of this as Scorp and I. We need you, Rosie."_

_"What for, then? What could I possibly do that you can't? I mean, I don't have James for a brother, I'm not as good with all the tricks of the trade as you."_

_"You? You're our best student, you are. We need someone as well-loved as you. The professors won't suspect a thing," Al cackled sinisterly._

_"I never knew you were so evil, Albus Potter. How many things have you been deviously hiding from me for the past eleven years? And you think you know someone..." I shook my head._

We'd been taking regular flying lessons with Madam Hooch, but as it grew colder, it became impossible to fly more than ten feet in the air without your breath frosting over and your fingers turning blue. Instead of flying lessons, we'd spend our time skating on the Lake and watching Hagrid put up huge fir trees all over the grounds. Scorpius, in particular, was always in awe of the Christmas trees, gasping whenever he saw them.

_"Kneazle got your tongue? Pull it together, you look like you've never seen a Christmas tree before, Scorp!" I'd say, teasing him for the way his mouth hung slightly open and his head craned back to look at the firs._

_"No, they're just...they're just so beautiful. Nothing like ours."_

_"What kind of tree do you have?"_

_"I suppose...Father would call it...minimalist. He likes the trees to have, oh, three candles on them, but four would be overkill. I call it boring. Like everything else at home."_

_"You should see the trees we have at the Burrow. Granddad puts it up in the garden, and it's as high as the house, and - and it's decorated with all of the things we've made over the years...especially garden gnomes. Lots and lots of garden gnomes everywhere, all over the tree."_

_"Gnomes? On a Christmas tree?"_

_"Yeah, James and Fred go around when they come home from Hogwarts and petrify them. They make good decorations, you know."_

_"Hmm," Scorpius mused, "I'm sure they do..."_

Scorpius and I were finishing off the last piece of Charms homework for the year when I thought of something that he'd said all the way back at the beginning of term. "Um, so, what are you doing for Christmas, Scorpius? Going home, or staying here?"

"Home, of course," he said, "Mum wouldn't let me stay here over the holidays. She says she'd miss me too much. Father actually considered sending me to Durmstrang, you know, the school in Scandinavia, but Mum wouldn't let him. She said that no child of hers was being sent so far away."

"That's really sweet that your mum thinks that," I said, "You don't find it a bit annoying?"

"Not at all, actually. I guess you do, though. I've only got Father and Mother, and my grandparents sometimes. You have half the Wizarding population fussing over you all the time."

"Yeah, that's about right. I swear, I love my family to bits, but sometimes I just really need to get away from them. They're crazy, you know. In a good way, but crazy. I mean, give a girl a break, know what I mean?"

"Not really, but...well, kind of, I mean, I don't have anything to compare it with, but I can imagine, it would be like, I don't know, being buried in a crop of Mandrakes?"

"Scorpius Malfoy, you did not just compare my family to Mandrakes," I muttered.

"I might have done," he teased, "So what if I did?"

"Well, I'll need to know all the facts before I hex you into oblivion," I said, tapping my wand, "Can't have anyone bad-mouthing my family, can I?"

"Merlin, Weasley, your loyalty to your family is admirable, but don't you think you take it too far?"

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't," I said, "I'll see what they think about it all."

Scorpius knit his eyebrows and tapped his quill against his parchment.

"Oh Scorpius, don't be like that. I'm joking. You're right. The Weasley-Potters are basically Mandrakes in human form. Well, actually, it wouldn't be fair to compare them to Mandrakes. They're far louder than Mandrakes could ever be." I wasn't lying; I'm pretty sure that my family are actually incapable of being quiet.

"Having a proper Weasley Christmas, then?" he asked.

I laughed, "Of course, what else? I'd invite you, but I'm not sure there'll actually be room in the Burrow for you, sorry!"

"Oh, well, I have to have lunch with my parents, anyway, but I'd like to go one day, maybe."

"Yeah, maybe." I wondered if my family would ever let someone like Scorpius come to Christmas dinner - or to Sunday dinner, or any-day-of-the-week dinner, for that matter. We were Weasleys and Potters, and he was a Malfoy. I know that if there was one thing I'd learned this year, it was that Scorpius Malfoy was most definitely NOT the boy that my family had expected him to be - a carbon copy of his father, I guess.

I thought about the way that Al, James and I were famous at school, with people recognising us even if we hadn't seen them before in our lives. We were the children of the Golden Trio, forever to be seen as clones of our parents. I guess I hadn't really thought about the opposite of that - that the only thing people would ever remember about Scorpius was his surname. The thing is, he'd been right about something he'd said on the train to Hogwarts - he WAS incredibly bright for his age, and I admit that I hadn't quite beat him in every single test. He deserved to be known for his talents, not just for his surname, and I suppose I did, too. At least Headmistress McGonagall had instated a policy after the war that nobody could judge people the way they might have during the Blood Wars. Scorpius had become one of my best friends, and I didn't want to think about the way that our families would still see each other, even after all these years.

I nearly cried when I saw my parents and Hugo waiting for me at Kings Cross. I hadn't realised just how much I missed them. How much I'd missed my home. Hogwarts was the most amazing place I could ever have hoped to be, but it still wasn't home. "It's been so quiet without you, Rosie," my dad said as I buried my face into his shoulder.

"I missed you so much, Dad. You too, Mum, and...and I guess I even missed you, Hugo."

"Shut up, Rose," my brother said, enveloping me in a tight hug.

Mum put her arm around me and sniffed, "Rose, I'm so glad you're home. You don't know how hard it is, having to see your oldest child leave the nest."

"Blimey, Mum, you knew I'd come back. It's not like I'm off and living on my own."

"I know, but it hurt so much, waking up every morning and not having to make your breakfast, or take you to Flourish and Blotts, or - or to kiss you goodnight," her voice started cracking, and I could feel myself getting teary.

"Oi," Hugo interjected, "Can I remind you that Rose is not your only child? I do exist, you know. You don't need Rose, you've got me!"

"Rack off, Hugo, you know I'm their favourite child," I said as we walked out of the station to the car. Granddad Weasley had taught Dad to drive as soon as he was of age. Uncle Harry told me, though, about how Dad had come to rescue him from his Muggle family, in Granddad's flying Ford Anglia, when they were just twelve years old.

"Can you teach me to drive the Anglia, Dad?" I'd asked immediately upon hearing that story.

"Bloody hell, Rosie, you're only ten years old. Maybe next year, yeah?"

"Ronald!" my mum chastised, "There is no way you are teaching Rose to drive that car."

"Why not?" Dad asked, "She can fly a broom perfectly well."

"Ronald!" Mum said again, "No! She's far too young. I don't care if you did it at that age, you are not encouraging our daughter to do the same thing."

"Excited for Christmas, Rosie?" Dad asked as he manoeuvred the Anglia through the Sunday traffic that was swarming around King's Cross.

"Merlin, yes," I gasped, "It's going to be even better this year because, well, I've been away since Autumn and now I'm back again...I've missed all of you to bits, and everyone else as well. I can't wait to see everybody!" Although many of my cousins were already at Hogwarts where I saw them every day, there were many who I hadn't seen since September, like Lily. She and I were pretty close, even though she was two years younger than me. The youngest Weasley girls need to stick together, after all.

"What kind of sweets did you buy your old Dad from Hogsmeade, then? Best Christmas present ever, eh? I'm counting on you, Rosie. This one," Dad gestured at Mum, "Doesn't let me eat all that stuff."

"And for good reason," Mum said, "You'll lose your teeth by the time you're forty." My grandparents on Mum's side were Muggle dentists, and we'd grown up with Mum constantly warning us about our dental hygiene.

"Sorry Dad," I shrugged, "We're not allowed to go to Hogsmeade yet, remember? Merlin, it's really been a long time since you were at Hogwarts, hasn't it? Can't wait until I'm thirteen, though. I promise I'll buy you some sweets then, yeah?"

"Can't come soon enough," Dad said, "I'm starving for some good food." It was actually my dad who did most of the cooking in our house - Mum was a genius with books, and you'd think she'd be able to follow a recipe, but her meals always turned to disaster. "I'd be happy to cook dinner tonight, Ron," Mum offered, "Seeing as you're so eager to have a decent meal for once."

"If that's the case, 'Mione, I think I'll Apparate over to Harry and Ginny's for tea, eh?"

We had a small garden at our house in London, but it was enough for me. Hugo and I spent most of our week building snow forts and defending them with our lives, even attacking Mum and Dad when they dared venture into No Man's Land. James, Lily and Al came over nearly every day. Al joined me in what was clearly the best team, Lily and Hugo became our enemies, and James declared himself entirely too grown-up for such childish games. I suppose he spent the week in the kitchen, trying to wheedle a shot glass of Firewhiskey out of Dad and Uncle Harry.

"What's Hogwarts like, Rose?" Lily asked me, slipping into my Ravenclaw robes. They pooled at her feet.

"It's...it's bloody brilliant, Lily," I breathed, "Everything that our parents told us, the staircases, the portraits everywhere, the ghosts! Have I told you about the ghosts? They're everywhere, absolutely everywhere. I can't wait until you can go there too," I smiled.

"Do you think I'll be in Gryffindor like James and Al? Like Mum and Dad?"

"Don't ask me, ask the Sorting Hat. I dunno, I mean look at me, my parents were in Gryffindor, and Gran and Granddad too, but I'm not. Victoire and Louis aren't...it's not as easy as we thought it would be, you know? Your dad said that when he was at school, people used to be sorted so quickly, so easily, but it's different. It's like nobody even cares about houses any more. Merlin, do you know how easy it is to get into the different common rooms? Doesn't help that Al may or may not have told me the Gryffindor password...on the first day, mind you - and he may or may not have let slip every single one since. Scorpius and I practically live in the Gryffindor common room."

"About Scorpius," Lily asked, "Are you going out with him, then?"

"Lily! That's disgusting!" I cried, "I don't even want to THINK about that, okay?"

"I'm just asking..." she said innocently, "From what you've told me, you seem to be pretty close, don't you?"

"No. Lily. Yuck. That's just gross. I don't want to go out with anybody, okay?" Who did she think I was, Victoire? She could snog Teddy all she wanted, but I was only eleven, for Merlin's sake. I didn't want to snog anyone. The mere thought of doing anything romantic with a boy was enough to make me sick. "Let's talk about something else, okay? Got any Christmas presents, yet?"

"No, you know how Mum and Dad are. No opening presents until it's actually Christmas," my cousin pouted, "It's so annoying, Rosie!"

"Well, at least you'll have more to look forward to on the day, right? Oh, and get excited," I teased, "I'm pretty sure I saw a parcel under the tree at your place that may or may not have been shaped like a toilet seat from a certain magical school that certain members of our family may or may not attend..."

"James, a Hogwarts loo seat, he promised me," Lily muttered, "I knew it, I knew that he'd actually get me one."

"I'm pretty sure he spent the whole term practising just the right spell to take one of the seats off, you know."

"Why wouldn't he just use a," Lily paused while she was searching for the word, "Screwdriver? The thing that Granddad Weasley uses when he's in Muggle Mode?"

"Well, you know James. He doesn't quite have as much common sense as he needs, eh?" I joked.

"Definitely not," Lily laughed.

Suddenly, there was a shout from downstairs. "Rose, Lily," Auntie Ginny called, "Dinner's ready!"

"Coming!"

"This is fantastic, Auntie Ginny," I gushed, spooning up another mouthful of beef and vegetable stew. My Dad nodded his agreement and said through a mouthful of food, "Yeah, Gin, you could sure teach Hermione a thing or two about cooking. You'd think after all these years of knowing Mum that she'd have improved, but, well...why do you think we eat over here all the time?"

"Ron!" Mum scolded, but she smiled as she helped herself to a second serving of stew, "It really is absolutely brilliant, Ginny. You'll have to give me the recipe later, okay?"

"Never," Auntie Ginny joked, "I spent years working on this recipe by stealing and adapting Mum's. All that hard work would be for nothing if I didn't keep it a secret. So, James, Al, Rose, what are your plans for the break? You've not got long before you go back to school again."

"Snowball fights!" Al cried, "I've got to work on my strategy so I can be one up on the rest of the year when we go back to Hogwarts."

"Is that all you do at school?" Uncle Harry asked, "Snowball fights? Whatever happened to good old-fashioned school work?"

"Of course not, Dad," Al said, rolling his eyes, "We build snowmen too."

The whole table laughed and Mum said, "Well, at least they're having fun, not having to worry about the type of things we would at their age." The four adults at the table fell silent and looked at each other, remembering all that they had fought for in the Blood Wars. Dad cleared his throat and looked at me, "Well, what about you, Rosie? Anything special planned? Other than Christmas, of course."

"No, not really," I said, pushing a piece of potato around in my bowl, "I thought I'd get some reading done."

"I've said it before, I'll say it again," Dad said, "You're a bloody clone of your Mum, you are. Christmas hols? Time to read. Easter break? Time to read. Not that it isn't good for you, of course, but don't you want to play some Quidditch with your old Dad?"

"In winter? In the middle of the biggest snowstorm in twenty years? Dad, I always knew you were a little bit mental, but this just confirms it."

"What do you think Warming Charms are for?" Uncle Harry put in, "Your Dad, Ginny and I used to play Quidditch in the snow all the time, barely felt a thing. You don't notice the snow when you're too busy playing your favourite game with your favourite people."

"I suppose I don't count?" Mum asked, "Seeing as I don't play Quidditch?"

"I've already told you time and time again, Hermione, that the moment you get on a broomstick and play some Quidditch, you'll become one of my favourite people," Uncle Harry teased.

"Oh, shut up, Harry." Mum had always hated flying, preferring to Floo or Apparate. She'd been one of the only people in our family who had never played Quidditch, and Dad's attempts to teach her always ended up in hilarious, hilarious disaster.

"Speaking of favourite people," James said suddenly, "Seeing your new friend these holidays, Rose?"

"Which friend is this, James?" Auntie Ginny asked.

"Mum, are you seriously the only person who doesn't know? Merlin, look at Uncle Ron's face. Our Rosie's best mates with Scorpius Malfoy."

"Is this true, Rose?" Auntie Ginny asked me, her face impassive.

"Yeah, so, what if it is?" I asked, feeling my face and ears burning, "Is there a problem with that?"

"No," Uncle Harry said before anyone else could speak, "Who you're friends with is, well, your own decision."

"Uncle Harry," I cried, "I didn't DECIDE to be friends with him. We just are. Turns out we're really, really similar."

"To a Malfoy?" Dad said, "Perish the thought, Rosie, wouldn't want your Granddad to hear that. Don't think his heart could take it."

"Ron..." Mum said quietly, "I don't think we should talk about this. I, for one, think it's lovely that Rose - and Al - have found such a good friend in Scorpius, and from what I hear, he seems to be a perfectly wonderful, kind boy. Is that right, Rose?"

"Yes!" I could hear Dad grumbling something about Malfoys, unsuitable husbands and bouncing ferrets, but he stopped when Mum glared at him.

"But 'Mione, I mean, have you forgotten about Malfoy Manor?" he asked quietly.

Mum's eyes watered and her cheeks turned red. "I will never forget about that day, Ronald Weasley," she whispered, "and you know it. For as long as I live, there will not be a single day that I won't think about Malfoy Manor and what happened that day."

"What day?" Lily asked, having somehow remained silent throughout this entire conversation.

"Never mind, Lily," Uncle Harry said, taking his youngest child's hand, "Your uncle and auntie are remembering some things that happened when they were young, that's all. Blimey," he said, looking at his watch, "It's getting late, isn't it? Perhaps you'd better go to bed now, eh? I'll come and read you a story."

"Dad," Lily whined, "I'm nine, not six. Bed time stories aren't going to be enough to get me to bed any more. Unless it's the Hopping Pot. Will you read me the Hopping Pot?"

"Of course," Harry smiled, "I know it's your favourite. Off you go, I'll catch you upstairs." Lily went around the table and gave us all a hug goodnight before skipping out of the dining room and up the stairs to her bedroom. "You didn't have to do that, Harry," Mum said quietly, "She can stay if she likes, it's not even nine o'clock yet."

"No, I don't want her to hear us talking about - about Malfoy Manor, or asking too many questions. Not yet. She's too young."

"Will you tell us?" I asked, "We're older than Lily...except Hugo, of course, but I can send him away if you like."

"No, Rose," Dad said, "We won't be talking about this, okay? 'Mione, forget I brought it up, I'm sorry." Mum grabbed Dad's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Never mind, Ron," she said, "It's okay. Who'd like a drink?" We could all tell that Mum was trying to change the subject as quickly as possible, so James, Al and I all asked for a Butterbeer immediately (actually, James asked for a Firewhiskey and was promptly denied), so that the adults could busy themselves with fetching our drinks for us.

It was well after midnight by the time Mum, Dad, Hugo and I Flooed home. It had become a tradition to spend the first night of the holidays having dinner at either Uncle Harry's house, or ours. Occasionally, some of our other aunts, uncles and cousins would join us, but because my parents were, obviously, closest to Auntie Ginny and Uncle Harry, we mostly stayed with them. I'm sure James wished that he could be with his cousins that were his age, but I had Albus, and Hugo had Lily, who were as close to one another as Al and I were.

Not for the first time, I found myself thinking about how lonely Scorpius must be. I wished I could ask him over to our house, or even to the Burrow, but something told me that that would never be possible.

**AN: Hope you enjoyed reading! Sorryyy it's been all talking for a little while, but hopefully something interesting should happen soonnnnn! Reviewss make my day, by the way. ;) **

**Ariana xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Wowwwwwww sorry this took so long, I can't believe it's beeeen so long! I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"Come on, Rose, you know you want to," James pleaded, his face scrunching up in what I assumed was supposed to be a pitiful expression. We'd been back at school for a month now, and he thought it was the right time to start training Al and I for Quidditch try outs at the end of the year.<p>

"James," I said, "Whether I want to or not isn't the point. You know it's against the rules, don't you? First years aren't allowed our own broomsticks, you know that."

"So use a school one!"

"Look, in any other situation I would agree that your logic is flawless, but you're forgetting the very simple, very obvious fact that we're also not allowed to play Quidditch unless we're at try outs, practice or a game, and you know that first years can't be in the teams."

"I'm just going to help you with your flying, Rosie. You can use a school broom, and nobody will care, because you're with me, the greatest Gryffindor Chaser of all time," he bragged, leaning back in his chair.

"Oh, I'm sure your mother would have a thing or two to say about that. We all know were you got your Chaser skills from...which leads me to my next point, James, that being: you're in Gryffindor, I'm in Ravenclaw. Don't you want your house to win the cup next year? You're just helping the competition."

James laughed so loudly that most of the people in the Gryffindor common room turned around to look at us. Some seventh-years who were busy doing their homework shushed us emphatically.

"Cast a Muffliato, would you? We're trying to do our work, nobody wants hear your conversation," one whispered. James and I ignored them.

"You? I hardly consider you competition, Rosie. Besides, well, we've got to stick together, right? Family is family, and your dad will chuck a fit if he hears I've been sabotaging your Quidditch career." James had been on the receiving end of Dad's temper more than once, and I think he'd finally decided that it wasn't worth it to risk it again.

"Yeah, okay," I said finally, "I could always use more flying practice. Can Scorpius come and practise with us?"

"Malfoy plays Quidditch? Huh, I never knew," James commented.

"As if, James," I scoffed, "I've seen you watching our flying classes. Anyone can see that Scorp is the best flier in our year."

"Now Rose," James said sternly, "I find that seriously offensive."

"What? Why-"

"I take great issue with the suggestion that somebody other than a Potter or Weasley is the best Quidditch player in their year, and would like you to amend your statement immediately," James said, barely suppressing his laughter.

"I...I can't. He's a much better flier than me."

"Stop it, Rose! What happened to the Weasley gene of absolute stubbornness? You bring shame upon this family! Shame!" James cried, throwing his hands in the air.

I started laughing and said, "All right, I get it, I get it, I'm the best flier in our year, Scorpius has nothing on me." Suddenly, I jumped as I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"What don't I have?" Scorpius asked from where he'd been standing behind me for Merlin knows how long.

"Manners," I said, "if you're going to go around scaring me like that."

"Not my fault you're so oblivious," Scorpius said, sitting beside me, "I was standing there for ages."

"He was," James agreed, "You should have seen your face, Rosie, looked like you'd seen a Boggart."

"Shut up, James," I said, shaking my head, "Scorp, we were just talking about getting some flying training in before the try outs for next year. You're going for the Quidditch team, right?"

"Of course I am, what do you think I was doing for the whole of Christmas break?"

"Flying? Outside? Merlin, you're just as bonkers as my Dad and Uncle Harry. They wouldn't stop badgering me all break for a game of Quidditch. Personally, I'd rather my arse didn't freeze to the seat of my broom."

"That's what Warming Charms are for, Weasley, you'd be amazed what magic can do these days."

"What are you, my dad? That's what he and Uncle Harry said. Multiple times. You sure you weren't hiding in Al's parents' dining room listening to them?"

"That's creepy, Rose," Scorpius said, fixing me with a concerned glare, "Unlike you, I do not take joy in eavesdropping on people's private conversations."

"What? I do not -" I spluttered, "Didn't I catch you listening through the bookshelves in the library?"

"They were talking about the Quidditch League," Scorpius explained, "And I hadn't caught up on the results of the latest match. Desperate times call for desperate measures, you know."

"Whatever you say, Scorpius, whatever you say. So, are you going to train with us?"

Scorpius cocked his head to one side in mock consideration, "Hmm, I think not."

"What? Why?"

"Well, for one, look at your trainer," he said, pointing at James, "How do you know he's not going to destroy our flying skills forever to keep Gryffindor in the lead?"

"If I didn't know better," James grinned, "I'd say you were jealous, Malfoy. Of my supreme and unbeatable flying skills."

"You wish," Scorpius laughed, "You couldn't fly to save your life."

"That's not what you said after I won the last Quidditch match against YOUR house."

"You didn't win it, your Seeker did," Scorpius pointed out. I rolled my eyes; it wasn't the first time that James and Scorpius had descended into a pointless and rather irrelevant argument about the finer points of Quidditch. Oh, who am I kidding? They were hardly talking about Quidditch; they were just trying to one-up one another. I knew the signs. I'd grown up around James and all of the other boys my whole life.

"Look, guys," I said, letting out a sigh, "This is all very interesting, but I just want to know whether you'll train with us or not, Scorpius."

"Yeah, sure," he said casually, "No really, I'd love to. Maybe I can learn a few tricks from Potter here."

"Sorry Malfoy, that classes as giving away family secrets, but I'll do my best to improve your terrible flying."

"Shove off, Potter," Scorpius said, "I'm only doing this because I have nothing better to do," he winked.

From then on, James, Al, Scorpius and I would spent most of our weekends flying around the grounds, stopping to wave through windows and competing to see who could fly the highest. I hadn't been lying; Scorp really was an amazing flier, and he almost always won our races. He'd excitedly told me, more than once, that he'd received a Nimbus 3000 for Christmas, one of only 100 made in the United Kingdom, and that he'd been practising fiercely every day. "I can't wait to bring her to school," he'd say, "Next year can't come soon enough."

"Her?" I asked incredulously, "You call your broomstick a HER?"

"Yeah, Weasley, you should try it sometime. She's gorgeous, she really is. You just don't appreciate the true beauty of a Nimbus 3000 until you have your very own."

"You be careful there, Scorpius, or I'll have you branded as broom-sexual for the rest of your school life."

Scorpius pulled a face and shared a look with Albus, "Yuck, that's disgusting! You're clearly just jealous because you fly at home, what, a Cleansweep?"

"Shut up, it's family tradition that we start out with Cleansweeps. Besides, they're the best brooms if you're playing Quidditch."

"Really? Because I'd argue that the Nimbuses are well superior to the Cleansweeps for, well, everything."

"Including sweeping?"

"ESPECIALLY sweeping."

"Well, I shall personally use your precious Nimbus 3000 to sweep your arse off the Quidditch field next year," I proclaimed confidently.

Scorpius laughed, "Weasley, we're on the same team, or we will be once we're accepted. I'd rather you didn't betray Ravenclaw. Concentrate on beating the Gryffindors, eh? Look at Al, he's well scared at the idea of having to play against us." We high-fived each other, 100 feet off the ground. James turned back to look at us from where he was hovering some distance ahead and yelled, "Oi! Do you three want to practise your bloody flying or not?"

"Coming," we all yelled, slowly flying towards him.

"Merlin, your cousin's a slave driver," Scorpius whispered.

I raised my eyebrow, "James takes his Quidditch very seriously. I suppose that's what you get for being the son of a former professional Chaser and the youngest Seeker in a century...he's grown up with Quidditch in his blood. It literally means everything to him, although this year, Quidditch might have to compete with girls on his list of priorities, know what I mean?"

"Er, no?" Scorpius said, wrinkling his brow.

"Scorpius, he's a ruddy third year. He's thirteen years old, for Merlin's sake. You know what they all have on their minds."

"Yeah, well, I'd rather not think about it," Scorpius muttered, and Al nodded vigorously in agreement.

"You'd better watch out, that's going to be you one day – obsessed with love," I drawled.

Scorpius responded by promptly ramming his broom into mine. "Don't push your luck, Weasley," he growled in what I assumed was his attempt at a threatening tone, "I might not be so courteous towards you in future games."

"Wasn't it you who said that we're, er, on the same team or something? You know, meaning that it would be really, really pointless and, possibly quite damaging to Ravenclaw's general well-being, if you were to try to kill me on the pitch?"

Scorpius chuckled and swooped away from Al and I, calling over his shoulder, "Whatever you say, Rosie, whatever you say!"

"You know something, Rosie? That boy is absolutely mental," Al said, watching Scorpius fly off to catch up with James.

I laughed, "Never said he wasn't."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Pleeease review if you enjoyed it! (and if you didn't, review anyway so I can know how to dooo betterrrr!)<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Woweee! SOrryy this chapter has been so long coming! It's a Christmassyy one but I'm posting it afterr Christmas, are'n't I? Oh well! Hope everyone's still in the spirit! Thanks agfain to everyone who's reviewed, I sppreciate it so ,so so so s o much to know that this story makes people interested and happy!**

* * *

><p><em>-Scorpius' POV-<em>

_"How was Christmas for you, Scorp?" Rose's question jolted me out of my thoughts. I'd been chewing on a Sugar Quill, one of dozens that Rose had brought back after the holidays. "Oh, it was great," I said absentmindedly, "It was really good."_  
><em>"I thought you were supposed to be good at lying," Rose replied without missing a beat, "What went on at your Christmas, then? What was so horrible about it?"<em>  
><em>"It wasn't horrible, Rose, it was just...ordinary. The same as it always is."<em>

_Of course, that wasn't quite true..._

As I sat in our lofty, vast dining room, I wondered what Christmas was like at the Burrow. From the way Rose described it, it must have been absolute chaos. I could hardly even imagine so many people squeezed into one seemingly tiny place. At my house, on the other hand, Christmas was an incredibly quiet affair, probably because there were simply so few people, and every sound echoed off the walls. Every Christmas I could remember, it had been my parents, father's parents and me. Sometimes, mum's sister and her family would come over, but that was rare.

"So, Scorpius," Grandfather asked me as we sat down to the dinner table, "Tell us about Ravenclaw life."  
>He'd not owled me for a month when I first told my grandparents that I'd been sorted into Ravenclaw. I suppose he'd always wanted his only grandchild to continue the previously unbroken family tradition of being in Slytherin.<br>"Lucius," Grandmother said quietly, "It's Christmas. Can't we talk about something a little bit more interesting?"  
>"Houses are interesting, Narcissa, and I myself am particularly fascinated to learn of the minutiae of my only grandson's house."<br>"Well," I said, looking at my plate, "I don't spend much time in the Ravenclaw Tower. Actually, I'm in the Gryffindor common room most of the time."  
>Grandfather arched an eyebrow and bored his grey eyes into mine. "What could there possibly be in Gryffindor Tower that would interest you, Scorpius?" he asked softly.<br>"Uh, my friends?" I suggested. Mum shot me a look of warning.  
>"Friends? In Gryffindor? That's…fascinating. I would not have expected that."<br>"Lucius…" Grandmother started.  
>"And who are these friends of yours, Scorpius? Doesn't Blaise have a son, what's his name, Jean something or other? Something terribly French, at any rate. I didn't expect him to be in Gryffindor, I can't tell you that."<br>"Zabini? Merlin, no, he's in Slytherin and doesnt want anything to do with me."  
>"Then who on earth is this mysterious Gryffindor?"<br>"Uh…well, Albus."  
>"Potter!" he cried, "You are friends with Harry Potter's boy? Well, well," Grandfather whispered, his cold mask barely concealing his rage.<br>My mother looked at Grandfather and cleared her throat, "From what Scorpius has told us, he seems like a perfectly lovely child, and so does his cousin."  
>Grandfather's fork fell to his plate with a loud clatter. "I'm sorry, cousin? Cousin? Surely you can't be referring to a Weasley," he sneered.<br>"I am, actually," I said defiantly, "Rose Weasley. I met her on the train when all of the other compartments were taken. She's my best friend, Grandfather. You know what the first thing she said to me was? 'I know who you are.' So I thought - I thought, Merlin, she hates me already, look at her, she's obviously a Weasley, I mean with the hair, it's a dead giveaway, so if she knows me already then she must hate me already, but…she doesn't care."  
>"Oh," Grandfather said, "Well, I'm sure you'll agree with me, Scorpius, that it is in your best interests to seek...different companionship. You know it cannot end well, for you to associate with a Potter and a Weasley."<br>"What do you mean?" I cried, "The only way it wouldn't end well is if someone like YOU tries to ruin everything, Grandfather!"  
>My father shot me a meaningful glare, "Scorpius...that's enough."<br>"No," I continued, "They're my best friends. The best friends I've ever had. Who else am I going to be friends with if I don't have them? Hardly anybody else will even talk to me because of my bloody last name!" I felt a pricking behind my eyes and squeezed them tightly to stop myself crying.  
>Grandfather cleared his throat, "Well, I'm sure I can arrange something, have a word or two with Blaise Zabini, Draco, you're still in contact with him, aren't you-"<br>"I don't WANT to be friends with Jean Zabini, Grandfather, he's a horrible person and - and I could never be friends with him. He's so horrid to me in class, every day-"  
>My mother spoke up, "Mr. Malfoy, I think it's wonderful that Scorpius has made friends in other houses - and with Albus and Rose. His generation should not have to suffer from our actions in the Blood Wars."<br>Grandfather turned to Mother and fixed her with an icy stare. "Do not speak of what you do not know, Astoria. Oh, yes, it's common knowledge that you were hardly involved in those events. Why else do you think my son married you?"  
>"Father!" my own father yelled, "That's enough. I married Astoria because I love her," he said, taking Mother's hand, "And because she made me a better person. Don't you make insinuations or imply that - that I only married her because she did not know what I did. She knows - she knew, before we married - ...everything."<br>I tried to remember my parents' stories of the Blood Wars, but Father had never mentioned that he had done something that could change Mother's perception of him. Oh yes, I knew what my Grandfather had done, after all, it was taught in every History of Magic class, alongside stories of Rose's and Al's parents, but I had never heard anything about my own father. "Everything about what, Father? What did you do?"  
>It was my grandmother who reached across the table to take my hand, "Not now, Scorpius. It's Christmas. I told you, Lucius, Christmas is not the day to discuss houses - and the Blood Wars, and the Weasleys and the Potters."<br>"Thank you, Mother," Father said.  
>"Besides," she continued, "I'm very interested to hear about your flying lessons, Scorpius. You've practically been flying since before you could walk, do you remember?"<br>"Yeah, well," I said, "Quite honestly, there isn't much Madam Hooch has taught us that I didn't already know."  
>"That's my son," Father beamed, "I take it you're the best flier in your year, of course?"<br>"Yeah, I dunno, maybe tied first, or even second, I dunno. Or third. It's just...Rose and Al are really, really good fliers. It's probably 'cause of their parents." It was common knowledge, even amongst my family, that Al's mother had been a professional Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies, that his father was the youngest Hogwarts Seeker in a century, and that Rose's dad had been Keeper while he was at Hogwarts - and called the King, no less.  
>"Don't remind me," Father said, "You know I had to spend almost my whole school life trying to catch the Snitch from Harry Potter."<br>Mother laughed, "Did you ever catch it first, Draco? Don't worry - you're far better than me, at any rate, and you were always a fantastic Seeker." My parents took each other's hands and smiled at each other, and I remembered what Father had just said about why he married Mother. "Well, darling, nobody can Chase quite as well as you, can they Toria? You should have been in the Harpies, you know, not Ginny Weasley."  
>"Me? No, no, Quidditch is just a hobby, you know that. I couldn't play professionally, especially not when Scorp was younger and I had to look after him."<br>"Now that I'm at Hogwarts, maybe you should try out for the Harpies, Mother," I suggested, "Although you know, I can look after myself."  
>"No, darling," Mother laughed, "Really, I wouldn't want to play professional Quidditch. Look at Ginny Weasley, she's famous enough as it is, in the public eye, but with her Quidditch career, I'm surprised she has any secrets left. I wouldn't enjoy it, I really wouldn't."<br>"Besides," Father muttered, "I'm sure there are some secrets we'd rather all keep to ourselves, aren't there?"  
>"What's that supposed to mean, Father? What secrets? Is this about how you used to read bed time stories to me every night, even though you hated them so, so much?"<br>"Er, no, Scorpius, not quite, although I'm not sure that I'd want that particular memory to become public knowledge. Well. Uh, you're definitely trying out for the Ravenclaw team next year, aren't you?"  
>"You couldn't stop me, Father."<br>"What position?"  
>"Seeker, I s'pose, like you. Don't really know how to play anything else."<br>"Carrying on in your old dad's footsteps, eh? That's my boy. Although, if you like, I can train you a bit, get you stronger in other positions. It gives you more of a chance when you're trying out. What do you say?"  
>I smiled, "I'd like that, Father...Dad. I'd really like that." Father grinned back at me. I could tell he was doing his best to ease the tension he knew I must have been feeling. "And...thanks for offering, it means a lot," I added.<br>"Nonsense," he said quickly, glancing at Grandfather, "It's Christmas, isn't it?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thankyou so much for reading! I absolutely adoree all my readers, you mean everything to meeeee! PLEASE REVIEW! REVIEWS ARE MY LIFRBLOOD LOL.<strong>


End file.
